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News: more names added to Gypsy and Camelot concerts

Paul Foster’s concert presentation of Gypsy at Alexandra Palace has added yet more to its already exciting castlist. Ebony Molina, Rachel Stanley and Alexis Owen-Hobbs will star as the titanic trio of Electra, Mazzepa and Tessie Tura respectively. They’ll be joining the seven-fold Rose of Tracie Bennett, Nicola Hughes, Melanie La Barrie, Rebecca Lock, Keala Settle, Samantha Spiro and Sally Ann Triplett and Laura Pitt-Pulford as Louise, Carly Mercedes Dyer as June and Christopher Howell as Herbie.

Directed by Paul Foster with choreography by Joanna Goodwin and sound design by Paul Smith, the show will feature a 26-piece orchestra playing the show’s original orchestrations, conducted by Alex Parker. Book your tickets for 21st February 2022 here.

West End stars Julie Atherton and Ivano Turco are the latest names added to the bill for the exclusive one night only production of Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot in Concert at the London Palladium.

Julie Atherton (Avenue Q, Mamma Mia!, Sister Act, tick, tick… BOOM!) will play Morgan Le Fey, while Ivano Turco (Prince Charming in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella) takes the role of Mordred alongside the previously announced all-star cast of Ramin Karimloo, Bradley Jaden and Lucy St. Louis, as the legendary love triangle of King Arthur, Guenevere and Sir Lancelot, in the concert production on Sunday February 6.

With just one month to go, it is also announced that joining the cast are Newtion Matthews (BKLYN) as Merlyn, and Georgi Mottram, (ITV’s Walk The Line with classical crossover group Ida Girls), as Nimue. The production will be supported with the 35-strong Trinity Laban Musical Theatre Ensemble.

Final tickets are available now from www.cuffeandtaylor.com

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News: Jamie Lloyd and Gypsy production updates

Paul Foster’s concert presentation of Gypsy at Alexandra Palace has added to its already exciting castlist. Joining the seven-fold Rose of Tracie Bennett, Nicola Hughes, Melanie La Barrie, Rebecca Lock, Keala Settle, Samantha Spiro and Sally Ann Triplett will be will be Laura Pitt-Pulford as Louise, Carly Mercedes Dyer as June and Christopher Howell as Herbie.

Directed by Paul Foster with choreography by Joanna Goodwin and sound design by Paul Smith, the show will feature a 26-piece orchestra playing the show’s original orchestrations, conducted by Alex Parker. Book your tickets for 21st February 2022 here. Continue reading “News: Jamie Lloyd and Gypsy production updates”

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Some early October musical news

Put A Pin In It Productions (a new Brighton based production company with a big heart and big ambition) brings a not-to-be-missed show to The Old Market in Hove this autumn. Voices of Today and Tomorrow is a musical show tunes event with a difference – partnering established West End stars with talented newcomers who are already making waves on the fringe of the industry and are sure-fire stars of tomorrow!

Jodie Steele, Luke Bayer, Maiya Quansah-Breed, Joanne Harper and Alexandra Doar plus Brighton-born Alex James Ellison, creator of the hit musical, FIVER, are set to appear live in concert alongside some of the UK’s most promising up-and-coming talent in the musical theatre industry, including Frankie Davison, Eleanor Lakin, Daniel Walford, Katie Ramshaw and Amie Shouler. Continue reading “Some early October musical news”

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News: live shows at the Hippodrome and Cadogan Hall

Tickets now available for a series of new live shows at
Lolas Underground at The Hippodrome Casino in October, November and December 2021.

OCTOBER 2021
Wednesday 6th October – 8pm – David O’Reilly
Thursday 14th October – 7pm – Joe McElderry
Wednesday 20th October – 8.00pm – Hayley TamaddonNOVEMBER 2021

Monday 1st November – 8.00pm – Maria Coyne
Wednesday 3rd November – 8.00pm – Jo O’Meara
Tuesday 23rd November – 8.00pm – Kerry Ellis
Monday 29th November – 8.00pm – Lizzie Bea
DECEMBER 2021
Thursday 2nd December – 7.00pm – Michael Mather
Monday 6th December – 8.00pm – Evie Rose Lane
Tuesday 7th December – 8.00pm – Emma WIlliams
Thursday 9th December – 7.00pm – Sophie Louise Dann
Sunday 12th December – 2.30pm – Alice Fearn
Tuesday 14th to Thursday 15th December – 7.30pm  – Christina Bianco
Monday 20th December – 8.00pm – Danielle Steers
Tuesday 21st December – 8.00pm – The Girls From OZ

Plus Jenna Russell, Keala Settle, Shoshana Bean, and Jessica Vosk all playing Cadogan Hall.

 

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Album Review: Keala Settle – Chapter One

Building on the success of The Greatest Showman, Keala Settle releases her debut EP Chapter One

“When the night has been too lonely and the road has been too long”

One of the breakout stars of runaway success film The Greatest Showman was rightly Keala Settle. As bearded lady Lettie Lutz, her rendition of the anthemic ‘This Is Me’ provided a real standout moment and it was no surprise to see the song be nominated for an Academy Award and to win a Golden Globe.

But to Broadway nerds, she’s no newbie. A Tony nominee (for Hands on a Hardbody), she shone in the original cast of Waitress and so you can certainly say she has paid her dues. And now Settle is taking the opportunity to release music with the EP Chapter One, which features four self-penned original songs and a cover for good measure. Continue reading “Album Review: Keala Settle – Chapter One”

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Oscar Week Film Review: The Greatest Showman

Defying the critics and showcasing the marvellous Keala Settle, there’s more to like about The Greatest Showman than you might think. Or not.

“The noblest art is that of making others happy”

There’s always something amusing about a piece of art that manages so successfully to flick two fingers at the critics and right now, none more so than The Greatest Showman. In the UK alone, it has achieved a box office consistency near the top of the list unseen since Avatar, the cast recording has been at the top of the album charts for the past two months, and such is its hold on the zeitgeist that it is now holding singalong performances across a range of cinemas.

None of which you would have predicted on its critical reception ahead of its Boxing Day release. It’s not an accurate portrayal of PT Barnum’s life, some said; it doesn’t have enough of a dramatic narrative, others sniffed; still more have derided its complete lack of any post-modern ironic edge, de rigueur for a contemporary musical so they’d have you believe. And there’s merits to all of these points though they do seem to spectacularly miss the point of the film, which is pure entertainment. Continue reading “Oscar Week Film Review: The Greatest Showman”